Sealing device



v luly 14, 1931; v M. RUTTEN SEALINGDEV-ICE 1 l Filed July 8, 1929' Patented July 14, 1931 j UNITED" STATES 'PATENT' OFFICE kFRANK M BUTTEN, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA, Asisirname.,` BY :DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF TBN BBB- CBNT To GOILTZ a BBOWN, A BIB-III .CONsIsTING OB CARLOS W. GOLTz AND BBBNABBA. B BOWN, AND TEN BBB CENT TOVBDWIN M. BROWN f sEAIiING DEVICE j Application filed .Juiy s, 1929. serial No. 376,637.

This invention relates to protective seals ing devices for couplings, unions, nuts and the like and especially to sealing devices for` the couplingsbr unionsemployedv to connect gas and water meters withtheir respective supplypipes. i

y Utility companies have experienced large lossesdue to the theft of gasand wateiui In many instances 'thejcouplings between the' meters and the gas and waterv pipes have been loosened by unscrupulous vpatrons and thefluid has been diverted and consumed. In the form of gas meter extensively employed at this time by most of the large gas companies a valve is located in the discharge passage of the meter and may be manipu lated by inserting a wire or rod through the meter discharge pipe to cause gas within the meter to be diverted from the motor of the meter, thereby enabling the thief to consume large amounts of the fluid Without paying for the same. This is usually accomplished by releasing the coupling nut to expose the end of the short pipe connected with the discharge of the meter, then inserting a wire rod downwardly through said pipe until it Opens said valve and then replacing the coupling.

It is an object of my invention to provide an extremely simple but efficient sealing device for couplings, unions and nuts in supplyy pipes for meters, especially adapted to obvi ate the theft of gas and water above set forth. i

It is a further Object to provide a protective sealing device constituting an enclosure for a coupling and a nut and held in place by a rsuitable sealing member whereby the nut or coupling cannot be loosened without breaking the seal.

More specifically it is an object to provide a sealing device for nuts and couplings comprising a pair of Cooperating shell members adapted tO loosely surround a coupling '5;- Inember or nut and held in operative position by a sealing element of conventional type.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like i' reference characters refer tov similar parts throughout the several views and inwhich, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a conven tional type of gas meter with an embodiy ment vof myinvention applied to the dis-y charge coupling of the meter;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation on a larger scale .of my sealing device applied to said coupling; l

. Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and f Fig. 4; is a longitudinal section the line lf-l of Fig. 2.

In Fig. l a conventional'gas meter M is taken on lillustrated kliavingthe usual vertical intake passage 5 ,atk theleft side thereof and the outlet passage 6 at thek right 4side thereof. A short intake pipe 7 projects above the top of :meter Mconnected'with intake ,passage 5 and a similar outlet pipe' is connected with theoutlet passage 6.Y Gas pipes 9 and 1Q are connected with the intake and return pipes l,7 and` 8 respectivelyof the meter by couplings Orunions of standard typeand as clearly illustrated inHFig.V .4, each of said couplings Acomprises va 1flanged sleevek 11 threadedly securedto the lower end of one of the gas pipes usually having a ground lower edge onthewidened or flanged portion. The iiange ,11a of said sleeve projectslaterally outwardly from the lower end thereof andswivelly secures to said sleeve a coupling'nut 12 having an inturned annular flange 12aat Aits upperI end. The upper end of the meter pipe to bejoined is provided with the l.usualsleeve lthreadedly secured theretoysaidjsleeve Vcarrying anV enlarged head 13a which is externally threaded for engagement with'the yCoupling nut 12. The end of'head 13a is preferably ground to en'- gage the ground edge of the flange 11a lof sleeve 11 affording a groundVV jointbetween the/coupling members.

The preferred embodiment of my sealing device comprises a pair of cooperating shell shape/'and havingprojecting portions Iat vmembers designated as entireties by the nui their rear ends affording a lock hinge between saidmembers and having projecting straps or plates 14?) and 15b respectively at their opposite ends adapted to receive a suitable sealing member. As shown, shell member 15y is provided with a hook or oifset tongue 15a adapted to be inserted through 'an eye 14a, of the rearwardly projecting portion of shell member 14 lto afford a lock inge between said shell members. [Shell members-14 and 15, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, are of U-shape cross section and are adapted to surround and completely enclose the coupling nut 12. Strapsror plates 146 andV 15b abut when the cooperating shell members are closed about the coupling nut and a sea-l of any suitable type is applied to said straps. If desired, registering slots 140 and 150 may be formed in said straps or platesand a conventional sealing band B may be inserted through said slots, the ends of said band being clinched or otherwise secured by a. slotted seal S. To apply my sealingl device to a nut or coupling member, the cooperating shells 14 and 15 are hinged together by inserting offset tongue 15a into the eye 14a; The shells are then litted about the nut and swung together at their ree'ends and the sealing member applied to the abutting straps or plates 145 and 15b. When so applied, the nut orcouplingmember cannot be turned or loosened until the shell members 14 and 15 are removed therefromand to remove said members the sealing band B or'other sealing element must'be' broken which, of course, can be readily detected bythe meter inspector.

vIt will also be noticed that the inwardly extending flanges'of shell members 14 and 15 surround' the coupling sleeves 11 and 13 and are adapted to abut the shoulders prov vided by the enlarged head 13a of sleeve 13 and the coupling nut 12.v Thus shell inem'- bers 14 and 15 cannot Ybe withdrawn from the coupling without breaking the seal even though the coupling nut 12 could be loosened,ithe` lower flanges of said shell members vunderlying the head 1303 and the upper flanges overlying the inturned lianges 12a of the coupling nut 12. K

In the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple but highly efcient V sealing device, which is especially applicable to couplings, unions and nuts. The device may be manufactured at low cost and can be quickly and easily applied to seal standard couplings in extensive use at this time. Y

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts withoutdeparting from the scope of the' presentinvention'. e

What is claimed is A sealing device for couplings and nuts comprising a pair of independent semi-circular shell members of U-shape in cross section, each having a pair of spaced semicircular flanges, the edge of one of which is adapted to over-lap the shoulder of an enlarged head, constituting a part of a pipe coupling and the other of which is adapted to over-lap the outer end of the rotary nut of a coupling, said shells having cooperating lock hinge elements at corresponding ends thereof and having abutting projections at the opposite ends thereof, a sealing element engaging said abutting projections to retain said shells in locked position, and said lock hinge elements comprising a plate or ear on one of said shell members lying substantially in a. common plane with the abutting projection of said member and having a lateral aperture therein, said second shell member having at the corresponding end a projecting tongue having an angular olfset extremity interlocked with the apertured portion of said ear.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

` Y FRANK M. RUTTEN.

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